Gulf Stream's Warming Shifts Closer to Shore, Reveals Study

A new study published in Nature Climate Change reveals that the Gulf Stream, a powerful ocean current that influences weather patterns and carries heat from the tropics to higher latitudes, has been warming faster than the global ocean and shifting closer to the coast over the past two decades. The study, based on extensive temperature and salinity profiles collected between 2001 and 2023, shows that the near-surface layer of the Gulf Stream has warmed by about 1°C and moved about 5 kilometers closer to the Northeastern United States continental shelf. The findings provide observational confirmation of predictions made by numerical simulations and highlight the potential impact on coastal fisheries and weather patterns.